Ellen McNulty, right, and her husband Keith, left, have welcomed Sharon’s son Lewis, centre, into their family

She promised she and husband Keith, 53, would care of her only child Lewis and promised to treat him like family.

Ellen, a bridal shop owner, said: “Sharon didn’t want to die. She was so worried about Lewis, especially once she knew she would not recover, as he was an only child.

“She knew that I had had ovarian cancer 12 years ago and she turned to me for advice.”

Ellen and Keith, an IT consultant, who adopted their two children three years ago after Ellen’s own ovarian cancer battle meant she needed a hysterectomy, had already looked after Lewis when Sharon was too ill to cope or needed hospital treatment.

Clerical assistant Sharon first discovered she was ill in June this year

As soon as they returned, Sharon went to Middlesbrough’s James Cook Hospital where she was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer.

“She was devastated,” said Ellen. “Immediately, I told her we would look after Lewis.

“Initially, it was just while she was in hospital, but it soon became clear her illness was terminal.

“I don’t think we realised how quickly she would deteriorate and she never talked about it, but we knew Lewis could live with us for as long as he needed to.”

What is ovarian cancer?

Ovarian cancer affects the ovaries, which are a small pair of organs located in the female pelvic cavity.

They are an important part of the female reproductive system as they connect to the womb and store eggs.

If you have ovarian cancer, cells in or around your ovaries start to grow abnormally which can lead to tumours.

Ovarian cancer may affect one or both of your ovaries, and there are several types that can affect women of all ages.

These include:

Epithelial ovarian cancer – This is the most common type and causes nine out of 10 cases. It develops in the cells that line your ovaries but can also affect cells in the Fallopian tubes that connect your ovaries to the womb.

Non-epithelial ovarian cancer – This type of ovarian cancer is much less common, and affects cells in your ovaries that produce eggs. Typically this type will affect younger women.

Many symptoms of ovarian cancer are hard to recognise as they are similar to conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Others have mistakenly thought that the swelling is a result of pregnancy.

Things to look out for include:

A swollen stomach

Feeling bloated constantly

Needing to urinate frequently

Discomfort in your tummy or pelvic area

Feeling full quickly when eating

The treatment for ovarian cancer depends on the type and how far spread it is.

Common treatments are:

Surgery – This is done to remove the cancerous cells from the body. Often this can involve removing both ovaries, the Fallopian tubes and the womb.

Chemotherapy – This is often done after surgery to kill any remaining cells, using medicine. Sometimes it can be used as a method to shrink cancer before surgery.

If the cancer has spread too far around the body, the aim of treatment will be to help reduce symptoms and to control the cancer as much as possible.

She added: “He may be staying with us, but Stewart is still a great dad to Lewis and sees him regularly. He is helping him hugely to come to terms with losing Sharon.”

Since the family moved to a new house in August, Lewis has been sharing a bedroom, but they are planning to turn their spare room into his own personal space.

When Sharon took her last breath on October 20, she was at home with Lewis and her dad.

Ellen said: “She spent the week before she died at home and the day before she passed, I went to see her.

“She was struggling to breathe, but she grabbed my arm and said, ‘Ellen, thank you for everything you have done.’ That was really the last thing she said to me. It meant a lot to me.”

She added: “It has been hard for Lewis, but he has fitted into our family amazingly.

Sharon felt ill while on holiday in Florida, but didn’t tell Lewis as she didn’t want to spoil it for him

“Going from living with Sharon and regularly seeing his dad, to living with two adults and two other children is a big change for him, but I think having people around all the time helps keep him busy at the moment.

“We talk about his mum all the time and she is very much part of his life. He collected the Christmas decorations from their house and we’re going to put some of them up at ours.”